“I’m scared,” announces a remarkably confident-looking Vieux Farka Touré, proving that his growing international success is matched by growing fluency in English. “I don’t know what people want. Do you want to dance or do you want me to be more quiet?” He ended up doing a bit of both, and in the process proved that this exponent of African blues has developed a remarkably varied style.

Still only in his early 30s, he has had an intriguing career. He became a musician against the initial wishes of his legendary father, the late Ali Farka Touré, and then transformed his dad’s style by playing electric guitar and adding bass and drums. Initially, he sounded like a Malian answer to a British 70s blues band, but then developed an increasingly distinctively African approach, while switching from electric to elegant acoustic guitar for his latest album, Mon Pays.

Those expecting a gently acoustic evening would have been disappointed, for he only included a handful of the new songs. He started out on electric guitar, backed by bass and drums, for what he described as a “relaxed” opening, with his fluent, pleasantly laidback playing still allowing for rapid-fire flurries. He began to speed up with Souba Souba, which brought the hall to its feet. Then he switched direction with a far-too-brief acoustic section, in which he demonstrated his elaborate, gently sturdy solo guitar work before being joined by Senegalese kora player Diabel Cissokho, who had opened the show. Their exquisite duet on Future echoed his father’s celebrated collaborations with Toumani Diabaté.

Finally, he switched back to electric guitar for a loud, messy wailing blues, then acoustic again for an impressive workout with his band, with the crowd chanting back to him. A patchy ending, maybe, but on this form he’s set to be Africa’s next guitar hero.